Tag: Save The Humans

How to feed more than nine billion people by 2050? This is the central question of this year’s Thought For Food Global Summit, held in Amsterdam on May 26 and 27. As world’s leading platform to address global food and nutrition security, the TFF movement brings together unconventional thinkers and doers from all disciplines and parts of the globe, who are dedicated to developing breakthrough solutions. Tomorrow, NNN director Koert van Mensvoort will share his thoughts on in vitro meat, and what better way to enjoy his presentation than with an ice cream savory cone from our Bistro In Vitro ice cream cart? That’s right, see you there!

The Letter to Humanity is addressed to all 7 billion people on Earth and available in twenty-five languages. It encourages a new perspective on the role of humanity on Earth. The letter urges humans not to be slaves or victims of technology, but to use technology to enhance humanity.

Dear Humanity,

It feels strange writing you a letter, I admit. Letters are generally addressed to an individual or a limited group of people. It’s unusual to write to humanity as a whole. You don’t even have a postal address, and I doubt you get much correspondence. Still, I thought it was time I wrote.

Obviously, I realise I can’t possibly reach you completely – if only because humanity not only consists of every person who’s alive right now but also of everyone who’s ever lived. That’s an estimated 107 billion people. And then there are all the others who haven’t been born yet – hopefully there will be a great many of them. I’ll return to that later, but before we talk about the future, I’d like to look back.

Today we globally celebrate Earth Day. What better occasion to read and share the Letter to Humanity written for all of us by NNN director Koert van Mensvoort? Humanity is at a crossroads, there are two paths along which our relationship with technology can develop: a dream or a nightmare. That’s why the Letter to Humanity urges us, humans, not to be slaves or victims of our own technology, but rather to use it to enhance our life on this planet.

On the occasion of the Earth Day, 22 April 2017, NNN director Koert van Mensvoort will share his Letter to Humanity. In the letter he urges humans not to be slaves or victims of their own technology, but instead to use technology to enhance humanity. His hope is to encourage a new perspective on the role of man on Earth. Translated in over twenty‐five languages, the Letter to Humanity is addressed to all 7 billion people on Earth. Stay tuned!

Around 100 teenagers, between the ages of 12 and 18, agreed to withstand 72 hours totally offline: no phone, no computer, no TV. The University of Gdansk, together with Dbam o Mój Z@sięg Foundation, decided to run this experiment to estimate teenagers’ Internet addiction scale. A tech-survival for those who see unlimited web access as natural as water flowing in their tap. What were the results?

At Hyowon Healing Centre in Seoul you can experience the emotional cost of a suicide during “Death School” classes. People of all ages come to face their fear and learn how to cope with life. First you have your photo taken, then you write a farewell letter to your loved ones and finally you are closed into a wooden coffin for ten minutes. Afterwards, Jeong Yong-mun, head of the centre, addresses the participants: “You have seen what death feels like, you are alive, and you must fight!”

In the wake of Samsung burning phones scandal, news websites promptly followed the development of the story. After reports of their flagship phone catching fire and causing serious damage, plane delays and even hospitalization, the company made a first recall to substitute the batteries with the ones of a different provider. Nevertheless, the new phones were still bursting into flames. After a second recall, a strong warning followed to urge consumers to turn off and “stop using the device”.

As part of a new traffic safety initiative, a car manufacturer, a telecommunications operator and a coffee chain have joined forces to develop Driving Barista, a new app designed to promote safer driving. For every 100 kilometers you drive without picking up your phone, you are rewarded with a coupon for a free cup of blended or iced coffee. But if you drive 99 kilometers and decide to pick up the phone, it resets back to zero.

A road safety campaign in the Australian state of Victoria exposed an educational, yet confronting picture to raise awareness on the vulnerability of the human body. Meet Graham, “the only person designed to survive on our roads”. It makes us wonder if the things that we design end up designing us.